Kia Motors Sorento

1.3 out of
5, based on 3 ratings and13 reviews & complaints.

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Low Quality Cheap Garbage

Posted by kia krap on 04/18/2010

If you are thinking of buying a Kia-read this first, and then run!! I have a 2007 Kia Sorento. At 12k it got a new motor-it has had 4 factory recalls-it has had 3 new rear differentials, not including the original- and is still not fixed because they cannot fix it. They replaced the drive shaft-then took it out. Then they replaced the 4 wheel drive--this did nothing--the a/c compressor has been replaced and a window motor and regulator have been replaced. All this and more before 30k miles. Now Kia motors-not the dealers--are saying that the banging and clunking noise created when you shift gears is normal--it may be "normal" for a Kia but is not normal for other auto makers...I test drove many others and not one made these noises. I also drove another Kia and it did not make noise. I have been advised that the rear differentials are mismanufactured and Kia has sent them to an outside repair shop to try to fix the issue. They are still no good. Here is the deal---Kias are cheap junk and you will pay plenty before they are done with you--they have no interest in honoring the warranty and will try to run it out. When you try to sell it you will loose your shirt as their reputation is coming out and maybe it is time for a class action lawsuit.

Don't hesitate to call a lawyer if you are getting kicked around as you may have legal recourse in your state and Kia will have to pay the lawyer. Google "lemon law" in your area and you should get a lawyer or two who specialize in consumer complaints. Do your friends a favor and warn them about Kia and don't let them bully you --you have rights--

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BEWARE OF KIA SERVICE! ...or accept consequences!

Posted by winjet on 02/15/2010

BEWARE OF KIA CARS AND STANDING BEHIND THEIR SERVICE WARRANTIES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS KNOWN TO THE FACTORY THAT THERE ARE DEFECTS IN THE VEHICLE.

I took my 2005 Kia Sorento into the dealer here in SLC, UT 100 miles before the 60k warranty expired and requested a complete diagnosis of the vehicle for costly repairs to be discovered and repaired prior to expiring. THey didn't even look at most of the car, only the minor concerns I had, fixing one of them, but not diagnosing the rest as agreed. Not even 4 months later did I notice that my transmission had a service bulletin out on it to fix (of course they denied it had anything to do with a recall).

I got an independent opinion from a trusted mechanic who works on Kias all the time. He said without hesitation the Kia customer service should simply fix this and have obligation to. Boy was he and I wrong. I called Kia customer service (corporate) and was SHOCKED when I talked to a "ROBIN" who talked over me continually, did NOT even listen to my concerns, insisted she had to call the dealer (which she did), but did not even talk to the service manager who was the one who handled my concerns, then came back to the call after 20 minutes on hold and told me I would have to pay $85 for a diagnosis to determine if the concern is valid (DUH!) and she MIGHT be able to cover it and the cost. I could NOT believe how rude and unaccommodating she and the company was. You are right, they do NOT care about their product and making the customer who buys it happy. I have noticed they simply market to everyone how all-inclusive their warranties are (best warranties in the business) to get you to buy them, but they have NO intention on covering anything, really, truly. BEWARE OF KIAS!!
I since learned that they do this, knowing all the loopholes and inserting the exceptions into the fine print of the warranty, as well as using it as a bait and switch to get people to buy their vehicles, knowing they are inferior in quality and price, but subsidizing that with a heavy-loaded "all inclusive warranty" to get people to bite and take the risk.

Consequently, I let Robin know on a recorded call how ridiculous this company is and that a formal complaint filing with regulatory agencies and her superiors (for the way she handled the call) was coming. I want ALL to know to stay clear of Kia, no matter what car, model, or year you are considering! If you don't, you will suffer the consequences......you decide!

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2005 Kia Sorento totally horrible and service dept gives a bad name

Posted by Donna on 06/21/2012

Rating: 1/51

WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS -- I purchased a Kia Sorento 05 and I finally by the overlooking of god just got rid of it, my lights went out at least every 40 days, my check engine light came on twice a year. But the bad thing about it Is when this first started happening I would literally argue constantly with the service department explains to them it's still warranty. It got so bad they tolde to call corporate to gong out and call them back to let them know. Once incident I was on my way to see my father and I explained to them that my dad was passing and my check engine light was causing my truck to stall and I truly need to get to him. I was told to drive slow and did I have to go immediately!!! I was devastated and had to borrow a friend vehicle. Another time after Thanksgiving my check engine light came on I took it in. It was actually done that day. As we driving to my son game it's comes back on so I didn't go. I was told the mechanic didn't change the sensor. Twice I took it bk for the radio numbers fading off, every single light in the front completely went out. I had to use my cell phone light to see which way to turn the knobs. What I'm saying Is I would never recommend a Kia to anyone. I test drive the new Sorento and my heart and trust wasn't there. I just purchased a Nissan murano and I've never been so happy. Anytime I tell you my fad dying and I asked me if I can hold out your not the company I need or want my family to riding in.

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KIA Sorento 32 MPG gas mileage claims are false

Posted by Don on 03/25/2012

Rating: 2/51

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- My wife drives 116 miles per day back and forth to work. The trip is 95% turnpike highway miles. The Sorento has 5600 miles on it and has yet to get over 21 MPG. The car was advertised at 32 MPG highway, and there is no way this car will ever see close to the 32MPG number and KIA needs to stop advertising it!! I recently drove the Sorento to Ft. Pierce and back, all highway and 90% cruise control on flat Florida roads and got 21 MPG. I took the same trip a few weeks back in my 2000 Toyota 4 runner with 239K miles on it and got 23 MPG, that's what the car was rated at from the factory 12 years ago. The internet is now full of stories from people having the same experience and KIA has to be fully aware that this car is not capable of 32MPG in real world driving. We put a lot of miles on our vehicles and gas mileage is important, if this car had been rated accurately we would have never even considered purchasing it. If your looking for a nice car that gets 21 MPG then consider this car, but if mileage is important you won't get it with the KIA so DON'T BUY KIA SORENTO

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Very poor gas mileage

Posted by condo on 12/17/2010

One reason we bought the Kia Sorento was because the sticker said the gas mileage was projected at 21 town and 29 hiway for the 4 cylinder engine. After 5000 miles we have maxed at 19.6 for hiway!!!

What a rip off!! There should be some recourse for this kind of stuff!!

We drive from Atlanta to to Panama City which is mostly a flat road. We always drive about 65-75 mph and the green eco light is always on indicating we are to be getting the best gas mileage. We asked the dealer service representative and he said "its an SUV..they don't get good gas mileage"

I said but that is not what the sticker says...yeah..well you know...he said.

Very very unhappy abour this...

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2004 Kia Sorento

Posted by Chasewine on 09/19/2009

VINELAND, NEW JERSEY -- My Kia Sorento has left me stranded twice. Not only has it left me stranded I could have been killed! There is no warning at all. The first time the vehicle had 59,000 miles on it. I was driving down a highway and the car made a loud clunk and the steering wheel locked up. I have absolutely no control over this situation I can not turn the wheel. Thank god that there was no other cars in my path. Kia replaced the bolt at no charge it was still under warranty. I figured what a freak incident. (SECOND TIME) I was driving down the road just picked my daughter up from school boom happens again. Once again lucky no one was in my path. This time I have 89,000 only 30,000 miles later no warranty no Road side assistance everything has gone expired.

This time I called the 1-800# for Kia the gentleman was very nice initially but then when he returned my phone call with some information he was very ignorant and told me that Kia is denying my case. I replied to him what happens if this happened again I might not be so lucky. He told me that he cannot predict the future. So now I'm stuck with a SUV that I'm scared to death to drive afraid I will not be so lucky the third time and it will Kill my family. I am not finished with this case I'm waiting for a call from [snip]!

I am a casual driver who goes VERY easy on the brakes, yet around the 30,000 mile mark, the rotors were bad. Kia resurfaced my rotors under warranty.

Now, at 43,000 miles, I have rotor problems again. Kia now refuses to fix the problem because the brake pads are now less than 50% of their "new life" (from Jennifer in the service department).

I am really tired of Kia's bait and switch tactics with the warranty. It all sounds wonderful until you encounter problem after problem, and the dealer won't honor the warranty for any of these items. Here are a few more things the dealer would not cover:

A) About 14 months into owning the vehicle, I discovered the alignment was "toed-in" (the dealership's words). It ruined my two front tires ($120 each). The problem was not obvious because they were toed in by the factory at exactly the same amount, so that the car's alignment felt perfect. The damage was hidden because the tire wore on the inside and could not be seen from the outside easily. The dealership would not even pay to correctly align the vehicle, saying my alignment warranty was out. THIS WAS A FACTORY PROBLEM that cost me just under $300 to fix. It was not apparent by driving until it was too late.

B) About a year ago, I complained that the leather on my driver-side seat was wearing prematurely. It had giant cracks going down the leather grain, and you could see underneath the leather. I was advised by the dealership that the wear is "within acceptable parameters set forth by Kia", and that I should use a good leather conditioner (which I had used several times). As a side note, I had a Camaro convertible before this Kia and never had this problem, even though I rarely used conditioner on the seats.

C) On cold winter days, the heater works for about 2 minutes, then gets cooler and cooler until its pumping out ice cold air. At that point, it never warms up again. I have taken the vehicle in twice with this problem, and the dealership says there's nothing wrong with it. ("It works for us.")

Also, this was interesting: the brake lights on my Sorento quit working at the exact same time. I checked the fuses, and all fuses were fine, so I replaced both bulbs. They were still dead. I took it into the dealership, and they said that both my (new) bulbs were bad, and that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. Very weird. They now work, but I know my bulbs were fine because I'd just bought them to replace the ones that seemed to die.

This is my last Kia. Never again.

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One year old KIA SORENTO worth only 45% originally paid

Posted by Donald on 04/23/2012

Rating: 1/51

OCALA, FLORIDA -- My KIA SORENTO is worth according to KIA $ 13,000 after paying $ 31,000 for it a year ago. WAnting to trade the Sorento for an optimia, same dealership and company, they said my car was worth only $ 13K on trade, but
the bank maintains it is worth $ 19 K.

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Engine Noise

Posted by boat on 03/08/2011

TEXAS -- Although the warranty service through Kia has been done well, problems still exist with noise coming from the right side of the engine on cold mornings. The noise goes away within two blocks of driving. Kia can't seem to find the problem and really waiting for the car to go out of warranty. Whenever there has been a problem in the past, you have to prove what is happening before they will do anything.

Service needs to get better, but I am afraid it will get worse now that Kia cars are being made in USA. If anyone out there is experiencing this, please let me know. All reports researched stated - timing belt pulley is making the noise and once it heats up...it is fine.

Second issue is the air conditioner...making noise also when operating. Kia replace the clutch (recall), but now will not work on the current problem because pressures are correct. Here too, they are waiting for the car to come out of warranty to find the problem.

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Warranty

Posted by ronaldclay on 11/24/2010

I own a 2005 KIA Sorento. I purchased this automobile new. Part of the appeal for me was the 100,000 mile warranty. This was part of the sales pitch. Little did I know that they have some many expensive service requirements that the warranty is virtually useless. I have done all of the oil changes. I also took the car to the dealership for the 30,000 mile checkup which includes a differential service. Each of the oil changes also included checking the fluid level in the differential. I failed to take it to the dealership for the 60,000 mile checkup which I now know also includes another differential service. The car has 79,000 miles and the differential has failed. KIA motors said that the differential failure is no longer under warranty because the 60,000 mile service was missed. I am 63 years old. I have owned may automobiles including 2 fiats. I previously considered the fiats the worst vehicles made. They have been replaced by the KIA. This is the first time in my life of purchasing cars that I will be maintaining a five year old vehicle out of the junkyard. This is a very defective product. I have had the car too long for it to be eligible for my states lemon law, however, I will be petetioning my state to include failures such as those I have mentioned in our current lemon law.